Combined see-saw and merry-go-round



COMBINED SEE-SAW AND MERRY-GO-ROUND Lotus Pittaluga, Willow Grove, Pa.

Application September 26, 1955, Serial No. 536,675

1 Claim. (Cl. 272-30) This invention relates to amusement devices involving the combined mechanical movements and entertainment features of a see-saw and a merry-go-round, and is used for play by occupants seated at opposite ends of a teeter board mounted for oscillation about a centrally disposed horizontal axis. This application is a continuation-inpart of my prior application Serial No. 511,305, filed May 26, 1955, now abandoned for See-Saw Device, and is con cerned with the refinements and improvements in devices of this kind for enhancement of their amusement and entertainment value by the features described in my prior application, and with further improvements in economy and simplicity of construction effected by the particular improvements of this present application.

A feature and object of the invention has been to provide a teeter board which is not only mounted for oscillating vertical movements about a horizontal axis, but in which the axis itself is provided by a rotatably mounted member, and this member is rotated concurrently with the oscillating movements of the teeter board.

A further feature and object has been to provide an apparatus of simple and inexpensive design in which the amusement and recreational features of a see-saw and merry-go-round are combined to optimum advantage.

A further feature and object has been to provide a see-saw device in which the operation of the teeter board in the normal manner, by the shifting of the weights of the occupants, at the same time produces propulsion of the device in rotary fashion about a central vertical axis.

A further feature and object has been to provide such a device in which the alternating up and down teeter board motions impel the device rapidly in a rotary movement through successive half revolution movements.

A further feature and object has been to provide a device of this character which is of unusually simple and economical construction, and requires for its operation only an eccentrically offset bearing and a link universally connected to this bearing and to an oscillating point on the teeter board.

Still further objects and advantages, and the manner in which they have been attained, will be evident from reading of the following detailed description in the light of the attached drawing, in which:

Figure l is a plan view of a preferred form of the ap paratus,

Figure 2 is a side elevation, showing the occupants seated in propelling position upon the device,

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-section through the device in the relative positions of the parts occupied in Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, illustrating a modified form of the device.

As illustrated in the drawing, the device may be secured or supported on any firm horizontal base, such as the ground, a concrete base or a floor, and may rest upon a pedestal having legs 11 and a central fixed cylindrical post 12. The teeter board 13 may be mounted for vertical oscillatory movement about bearing seats or nited States Patent ice studs 14 secured to a vertically extending hollow shaft 7 15, which is rotatably mounted upon the upper part of post 12 through bearings 16 adjacent its upper and lower ends, respectively, which are mounted for rotation about a post 17 which constitutes the attachment or upward extension received within the post 12. The post 17 is ofiset laterally at T8, and this offset end is again oifset vertically at 19 to provide an eccentrically located support for a bearing 22. This bearing 22 provides a rotatable support for a sleeve 23, and this sleeve in turn provides trunnions which carry the opposite bifurcated ends 24 of a link 25 which is secured at its opposite end through a universal connection 26 to a point on the teeter board substantially removed from its axis 14. The teeter board is provided at its opposite ends with seats 27, and may also be provided with handle bars 28 and foot rests 29, as illustrated.

A support fill may also be provided for other occupants of the device in the form of a pair of oppositely extending arms 32 secured to opposite sides of sleeve 15 and extending radially in opposite directions at right angles to the teeter board. This support provides seats 33, arrn rests 34 and foot rests 35 for occupants who may enjoy a free ride resulting from the exertions of the occupants of the seats 27.

in operation, with the teeter board in the position illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the occupant of the seat on the right is in the lowest possible position and the other occupant at the highest. The parts are at dead center in this position, and the link 25 is in direct longitudinal line between its bearing mountia on. the opposite upper end 19 of the post 17 and the center of the right hand seat 27. Theoretically at least, if the parts are stationary in this position and a preponderance of force is exerted downwardly against the left hand seat, no movement will occur, because of the dead center position. In the actual operation of the device, however, it will be started in clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation from a position removed somewhat angularly from dead center, or the dead center position will be crossed by the momentum attained in prior operation. Assuming that it is the desire of the occupants to obtain rotation in a clockwise direction simultaneously with the teeter board action, it will be started in operation from an angular position removed clockwise from the dead center position to a slight degree, or by providing a slight impulse of force in a clockwise direction to the apparatus from dead center position. To effect rotation, the occupants will shift their weights radially of the device in such a way that the force moment obtained from the Weight to the left is greater than the resising moment from the right, as is conventional in teeter board operation.

As the result of the movement of the right hand end of the teeter board upwardly, the axis 36 of the link 25 will also be moved upwardly, thereby moving link 25 progressively toward a more nearly horizontal position. The only way that this can occur, in view of the fixed length of the link 25, is through movement of the teeter board angularly about its axis of rotation. in this angular movement, the link 25 will be rotated through a slight angle about the axis 37 of the universal connection 26 extending at right angles to axis 36. By reference to Figure I, it will be seen that by the time the bifurcated ends 24 have rotated about the bearing 22 to a position at right angles to the initial dead center position (i. e., to the position occupied by support 30 in Figure l), the link 25 will have rotated about axis 37 through a very slight clockwise arc. During this same movement, this link 25 will have been rotated in a counterclockwise direction about the ascending transverse axis 36 to an angular position with respect to the horizontal about midway between the full line position to the right of Figure 2 and the broken line position to the left of Figure 2. At this time, the positions of the two occupants will be at the same level. As the device continues to move in a clockwise direction about its vertical axis, until the positions of the occupants are reversed by completion of a full 180 of rotation, the link 25 will continue to move in the same direction about its transverse axis 36 until it has reached the almost horizontal position illustrated in broken lines at the left of Figure 2. During this movement, the link 25 will reverse the angular movement Which it underwent during the first 90 of rotation of the device, and it will again be in line with the center of the post 17 and the center of the seats 27 when the device has rotated through 180 to again reach a dead center position as illustrated by the broken line position of the link 25.

During the continued rotation, the occupants will continue to reverse their positions during each 180 of retation, with the link 25 rotating about axis 256 between the extreme positions illustrated at the right and left of Figure 2, and this link also undergoing slight movements of rotation about the axis 37.

The form of the device illustrated in Figure 4- is similar in principle to that discussed above. However, in the form of Figure 4, the teeter board is mounted for oscilla tion about a transverse axis 50 on a sleeve 51 mounted upon an offset portion 52 of the post 53 supporting the device, and the rotatable bearing mounting 54; for the inner end of link 55 is mounted upon the main body of the post. This bearing mounting imparts the desired rotative movement to the teeter board through the link 55 in response to teeter board operation by reason of the fact that it is eccentric with respect to the axis of rotation of the teeter board about its central mouning sleeve 51. The operation of this form of the device Will be evident from the discussion above of the principles of operation of the preferred embodiment of the invention, the link swinging from the full line position at the right of Figure 4 to the broken line position at the left of that figure during the movement of the device between dead center positions apart in the are of rotation of the teeter board about its vertical axis.

While the invention has been described above in relation to two specific embodiments, I Wish it to be understood that further modifications and refinements are available within its general principle of operation, and I do not therefore intend to be limited in interpretation except by the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

In a see-saw device, the combination comprising a bearing member extending vertically from a supporting surface, a rigid teeter board extending on opposite sides of said bearing member and mounted for rotation about a vertical axis defined by said bearing member, a second bearing member located in position offset from the axis of said first bearing, and a single rigid link universally mounted at one of its ends to said second bearing member and at its opposite end to said teeter board at a location longitudinally spaced from its mounting about said vertical axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,502,746 Roempke July 29, 1924 2,242,843 Arnold May 20, 1941 2,409,487 Hilger Oct. 1.5, 1946 2,680,616 Taylor June 8, 1954 2,699,335 Krueger Jan. 11, 1955 

